Wow, it has been over 5 months since my last blog! I just haven't felt like posting nor have I had much to say. I have been very focused on the task at hand. For the past months, I have been cleaning out about twenty years of clutter and memories. It is amazing how much stuff we have collected between Bryan, me, three girls, and our various pets. I think that I was so busy with family activities through the years, that I just didn't deal with things when I should have. I would put if off by sticking things in the attic or the basement until a better day came along to deal with it! Well, I have had 4+ months to clean out my home. I have gone through everything. I have taken loads to Goodwill, I have sold things, and I have thrown away a boat load of stuff. And, I have accumulated a trailer load of things to have a gigantic yard sale! Several loads of treasures have gone to that special storage unit in Blairsville called "mom and dad's house."
All the while I have been cleaning out our house, Bryan has had a business to clean out. He has taken an unbelievable number of "loads" to Blairsville to store at his mother's house and his own very special storage unit called "Mike's Barn." Bryan's family has worked their tails off helping him clean out the shop and move truckloads of equipment. Well, after nonstop work by the both of us, we are finally "officially" moved. Bryan is done with the business, and I am done with the house. We walked through our completely empty house late yesterday afternoon, and I must say that it was sad. I am so relieved that the moving is finally over - the chore has been an overwhelming process! But, the emotions have hit me over the past few days. All I have to do is think about my house, and the tears flow. I have been consumed with sadness.
While people tell me that a house is just a house, I am well aware that a house is simply a "thing." I know that I shouldn't worry about such trivial things in life. But, this house was my home. Bryan and I bought the spot for our house and held the property for several years before we ever started building "our" house. This gave us plenty of time to dream about it, have house plans drawn, and anticipate the day we could finally start building. Well, that day finally came, and Bryan worked during the day, and built the house at night and on the weekends. It was a whole family project. Everyone was involved. Bryan's sister, Lisa, laid our tile. She and Coot came down and helped us. Bryan's mother helped in so many ways, but her main contribution was our landscaping. She landscaped our yard, and it honestly looked like it should have been photographed for Southern Living magazine. My family helped out in too many ways to count. What amazing support we had! The house has been touched by everyone in our families! And, I couldn't go into any room without seeing Bryan's special touches. He built all of the windows to put into the house he built. I loved our house - it was perfect and it was in the perfect neighborhood. Even our home address was perfect! Our house number was 410 - the same as Bryan's birthday (4/10/60).
Well, as you read in my last post, our hut has been on fire - the business loss and ultimately the loss of our home. I have tried to stay positive and keep smiling over the past year when things ultimately "hit" the fan. God has a plan. If nothing else, I have learned how incredibly blessed I am. I knew it, but now, I REALLY know it!
I have a sister who knocked on my door and handed one of my kids an envelope with money in it. Joy has no idea that I literally did not know how we were going to eat that week. Or, I get to WalMart and find a hundred dollar bill in my purse - just after I visited her house. Joy's husband, Gary, has kept our cars running for us - saving us hundreds of dollars in repairs. My dear mother has spent entire Sunday's cooking fried chicken, baking cakes, and everything else imaginable. She would send it to us so that we would be fed for days. (And fed deliciously, I might add!) And, she just has a knack for knowing when I need grocery money. She goes without things so that my family is taken care of. And, my poor dad, from his hospital bed at home, will always hand me money just so I have a "little" running money in my purse. And, how amazing is it that my sister and my mom felt the need to fund school clothes for Hadrian. We all know that she is a diva who must be well dressed! Hadrian was really touched that they were concerned about her having new clothes.
Yes, our hut has been on fire. Our home was auctioned off today, but a house is just a thing. The fire has summoned the Grace of God to show us that we have family who loves us and supports us. So, how could I feel any more blessed?
